Sole

ABSTRACT

A sole ( 1 ) for a shoe, in particular a sports shoe/hiking shoe or ski boot/snowboard boot, is proposed, with a cushioning profile ( 5 ) arranged on the outside ( 3 ) of the sole ( 1 ). The sole ( 1 ) is distinguished in that the cushioning profile ( 5 ) also extends over the inside ( 7 ) of the sole ( 1 ).

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a national phase of PCT Application Number PCT/EP2013/076005 filed Dec. 10, 2013 which claims priority to German patent application DE102013100432.6 filed Jan. 16, 2013, the entire contents both of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND

Soles of the type addressed here are known in principle. They frequently have a cushioning profile which for example in the case of running shoes is used in order to relieve pressure on the foot when it hits the ground. In the case of conventional shoes, a cushioning profile of this type is arranged on the outside, i.e. on the side of the sole facing the ground surface. The inside of the sole, i.e. the side facing the foot, on the other hand is flat and has no profile. In this way, comfortable bedding of the foot on the sole is intended to be ensured. Cushioning of impacts consequently takes place through the sole material. With this configuration, the sole can be cushioned only within certain limits, and above all only two-dimensionally and not at selected points. Since the minimum material thickness of a sole made of rubber is typically 2 mm, the cushioning profile must have a material thickness which is considerably greater than 2 mm. The cushioning profile therefore results in an increased consumption of material, which is associated with greater weight.

SUMMARY

The invention relates to a sole for a shoe, in particular a sports shoe/hiking shoe or ski boot/snowboard boot.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a sole which, in addition to improved cushioning properties in order to relieve pressure, also has a low material consumption.

The sole serves for the production of a shoe, in particular a sports shoe/hiking shoe or ski boot/snowboard boot, and has a cushioning profile located on the outside of the sole. The sole is distinguished in that the cushioning profile also extends over the inside of the sole.

An essential basic concept of the invention is that it may not be necessary from a design point of view to make the inside of the sole flat. On one hand, comfortable bedding of the foot is also achieved when the cushioning profile also extends over the inside of the sole, and on the other hand the shoe upper is glued to the sole exclusively at the edge thereof, so that it may not be necessary to have a flat inside of the sole for gluing the sole to the shoe upper either. A further advantage of a cushioning profile which also extends over the inside of the sole furthermore arises from the partial mechanical cushioning which can be achieved thereby. The cushioning therefore takes place precisely where the pressure occurs. This makes selective pressure relief and pinpoint cushioning possible. Due to a cushioning profile which is formed on both sides of the sole, furthermore a saving in terms of material and weight for the sole is yielded, because the cushioning profile is now completely integrated in the sole, so that no additional material is may be necessary for the cushioning profile. The cushioning profile which is formed on both sides furthermore permits the formation of cushioning elements which act independently of each other, which again permit pinpoint cushioning at the main pressure point when under load.

It may be particularly advantageous if the cushioning profile which is formed on both sides of the sole comprises at least one cushioning element. The at least one cushioning element preferably has an elastically deformable hollow body which can be joined to further cushioning elements via lands or portions of material. Owing to the configuration of the cushioning element in the form of a hollow body, a saving in terms of material and hence of weight for the sole is also yielded in addition to the improved cushioning properties. The sole can consequently be produced more cheaply.

The at least one cushioning element is preferably completely integrated resiliently in the sole and forms virtually a two-dimensional spring element. To this end, the cushioning element which is designed as a hollow body preferably has a corresponding connecting land and a holding land, which bring about resilient bedding of the cushioning element in the sole. In this manner, the cushioning element may perform a substantially free spring movement in both directions perpendicular to a sole plane.

Particularly preferred is a sole in which the cushioning profile has a plurality of cushioning elements which are independent of each other, which comprise at least two main cushioning elements and a large number of secondary cushioning elements. In such case, at least one main cushioning element may be arranged in the heel region and at least one main cushioning element in the forefoot region of the sole. Furthermore, the main cushioning element may, at least in regions, be surrounded by secondary cushioning elements. Moreover, a grip profile may additionally be formed in the heel region and/or in the forefoot region. This grip profile may likewise, at least in regions, adjoin the main cushioning elements and/or the secondary cushioning elements, and consist of a plurality of pimple-like protrusions.

The cushioning elements are preferably formed three-dimensionally, in particular in pimple-like manner, and have a polygonal, in particular hexagonal, or circular cup shape or frustoconical shape. In this manner, the hollow-body form of the cushioning element can be produced. In order to stabilise the cushioning profile, furthermore a frame may be provided which is joined to the sole, in particular also in one piece, and preferably completely surrounds it. The frame is joined to the sole in such a way that it is arranged at a distance from the running plane of the sole, in particular at a distance of approximately 2 mm therefrom. In this manner, the cushioning elements can be moved in the spring direction independently of the frame and can produce corresponding cushioning. The sole is at least approximately 2 mm thick, and preferably has a continuous material thickness of approximately 2 mm, it however being possible for the actual height of the sole to vary. This yields not only a saving in terms of material, but also a saving of weight for the sole.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be explained in greater detail below with reference to the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a sole in accordance with the prior art;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a sole according to the invention;

FIG. 3 is a side view of a shoe with a sole according to the invention;

FIG. 4A is a longitudinal sectional view of a sole according to the invention;

FIG. 4B is a sectional view of a cushioning element according to FIG. 4A;

FIG. 5 is a top view of the outside of a sole according to the invention;

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of a sole according to the invention in an initial situation;

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view of a sole according to the invention in an inward-directed cushioning situation, and

FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view of a sole according to the invention in an outward-directed cushioning situation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of a sole 10 known from the prior art. The sole 10 is intended to be joined to an upper 20. FIG. 1 makes it clear that the conventional sole 10 has a cushioning profile 50 on its outside 30, while the inside 70 is formed flat.

FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of a sole 1 according to the invention which is intended to be joined to an upper 2 and serves to produce any shoe whatsoever, in particular a sports/hiking shoe or ski boot/snowboard boot. In principle, the sole design according to the invention can be used in the production of any shoe whatsoever. In the present case, the invention will be explained with reference to a sole for a snowboard boot.

In contrast to a conventional sole, the cushioning profile 5 extends not only over the outside 3, but also over the inside 7 of the sole 1. The cushioning profile is therefore virtually designed such that it penetrates the sole. The “outside” 3 of the sole in the present case is understood to mean that side of the sole which comes into contact with the ground surface, whereas the inside 7 of the sole 1 forms the side facing the foot. The inside 7 is consequently not designed flat, but, as the outside 3 also does, has the structure of the cushioning profile 5, i.e. corresponding elevations and depressions.

The sole, in the example of embodiment shown in FIG. 2, is provided with a frame 9 which serves to stabilise the sole, which can have a more flexible structure than conventional soles owing to the cushioning profile which is formed on both sides. The frame 9 may be designed in one piece with the sole 1 or may be joined thereto in a different manner, in particular glued. The frame 9 is joined to the outer edge of the sole 1, and surrounds it preferably completely. A lower edge R of the frame 9 is arranged at a distance a from a running plane L of the sole 1. The lower edge R is the part of the frame 9 which faces the ground, whereas the running plane L is that plane of the sole which comes into contact with the ground. The distance a between the running plane L and the lower edge R of the frame 9 may vary depending on the application. For example, it may be 2 mm or more. A sufficiently large distance a between the lower edge R and the running plane L means that the cushioning can occur unhindered, without the frame hindering the cushioning movement of the cushioning profile.

FIG. 3 shows a side view of a shoe which has a sole 1 according to the invention which is joined to a frame 9. FIG. 4A shows a longitudinal sectional view of the shoe of FIG. 3, and hence a longitudinal section through a sole 1 according to the invention.

Like FIG. 2, FIG. 4A also makes it clear that the cushioning profile 5 extends both over the outside 3 and over the inside 7 of the sole 1. The cushioning profile 5 extends preferably over a major portion of the total area of the sole 1, and is formed integrally therein. It has at least one, but preferably a plurality of, cushioning element(s) 11 which are joined together via regions of material and thus form at least a major portion of the sole.

The cushioning element 11 and its operation are explained with reference to FIGS. 4A and 4B. In this case, it becomes clear that the cushioning element 11 has a hollow body 13. The hollow-body form, which may for example be pot-shaped, is produced in the present example by a base 13 a, which is surrounded by an ascending flank 13 b. The base 13 a and the flank 13 b enclose a cavity which is open towards the foot side. The material thicknesses of the base and of the flank may be identical, and may be in particular 2 mm. The equivalent also applies to the other regions of material, lands and flanks which form the sole.

The hollow body 13 or the cushioning element 11 is integrated resiliently in the sole 1, and in this manner forms a two-dimensional spring element. In order to permit a spring movement, as indicated in FIG. 4B, perpendicular to a sole plane E, and in both directions 19 and 19′, the pot-shaped hollow body 13 is joined via inclined flanks, in particular via flanks which are V-shaped or Z-shaped when viewed in cross-section, to a region of material which represents the connection to further cushioning elements. In concrete terms, for example a connecting land 15 and a holding land 17 are provided, the connecting land joining the hollow body to the holding land, which is either joined to the region of material or forms said region.

The lands and also the hollow body are elastically deformable and thereby permit resilient bedding of the cushioning element in the sole 1. The cushioning element 11 can thus perform a spring movement in both directions 19 and 19′ substantially perpendicular to the sole plane E. Depending on the loading situation, the cushioning element 11 will undergo elastic deformation, which is associated with displacement in the direction of the arrows 19 or 19′.

FIG. 5 shows a top view of the outside 3 of the sole 1 according to the invention. The sole shown therein represents a preferred embodiment, the cushioning profile of which has a plurality of cushioning elements. The cushioning elements are composed of main cushioning elements 21 and secondary cushioning elements 23. One main cushioning element 21 in this case is arranged in the heel region 25 of the sole 1 and one main cushioning element 21 in the forefoot region 27 of the sole 1, in order to achieve pressure relief and cushioning in the main loading zones at selected points. The main cushioning elements 21 are surrounded at least partially by the secondary cushioning elements 23. Compared with the main cushioning elements 21, the secondary cushioning elements 23 have a substantially smaller area or a smaller diameter, so that a greater number of secondary cushioning elements 23 than main cushioning elements 21 can cover the sole 1. For example, approximately 100 or more secondary cushioning elements 23 may be arranged between the two main cushioning elements 21. As far as their construction and their method of operation are concerned, the main and secondary cushioning elements 21, 23 correspond to the cushioning elements 11 shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B.

In the embodiment according to FIG. 5, the main or secondary cushioning elements have a hexagonal shape. However, in principle a different polygonal shape, a circular shape or alternatively a (hemi-)spherical shape is also conceivable. The cushioning elements, to produce the hollow-body form, are embossed three-dimensionally, in particular therefore in pimple-like manner, and in particular have a cup shape or frustoconical shape, such that the cushioning elements form a hollow body which is open towards the inside 7 of the sole and is closed towards the outside of the sole.

In the embodiment of the sole 1 according to the invention shown in FIG. 5, said sole furthermore has, both in the heel region 25 and in the forefoot region 27, in each case a grip profile 29, which profiles as profile pimples are responsible exclusively for the grip and do not develop any cushioning action. They therefore do not have to be designed as hollow bodies, but may be formed by solid bodies. The grip regions 29 are optional, and may also be replaced by cushioning elements, so that the entire sole is composed of cushioning elements and regions of material which are arranged therebetween.

FIG. 5 additionally makes it clear that regions of cushioning elements of different sizes may be provided. Thus all the secondary cushioning elements 23 and main cushioning elements 21 in no way have the same dimensions. Rather, the secondary cushioning elements may be designed to be of different sizes. The main cushioning elements do not have to be of identical shapes and sizes either. Furthermore, the hexagonal shape of the cushioning elements does not obligatorily have to be applied for each cushioning element. In principle, a mixture of differently-formed, for example polygonal and circular, cushioning elements on a sole 1 is also conceivable.

The secondary cushioning elements and main cushioning elements differ substantially in their intended purpose and in their cushioning action.

It may be advantageous if the main cushioning elements with increased cushioning action are arranged in the zones of high applied pressure, i.e. in particular in the heel and forefoot regions. In principle, however, any design whatsoever can be realised by the cushioning elements. For example, the sole may be completely or only partially penetrated by cushioning elements, the distribution of different types of cushioning elements being individually adaptable to any shoe and intended purpose whatsoever.

The method of operation of the resiliently bedded cushioning elements 11 will be explained below with reference to the longitudinal sectional views of the sole 1 in accordance with FIGS. 6-8. The longitudinal section shown in FIGS. 6-8 extends substantially through the main cushioning elements 21 shown in FIG. 5, which correspond to the cushioning elements 11 shown in FIG. 4A or 4B. FIG. 6 shows an initial situation in which a sole 1 is illustrated in a non-loaded state.

FIG. 7, on the other hand, shows a situation in which the cushioning elements 11 develop a cushioning action towards the inside 7 of the sole 1. In such case, the resiliently bedded hollow body of the cushioning element is displaced elastically towards the inside of the sole 1. In this case, an elastic deformation of the hollow body (in particular of the flanks 13 b) and of the flank(s) joining the hollow body to the surrounding sole material takes place.

In FIG. 8, on the other hand, the cushioning action of the cushioning element 11 towards the outside is illustrated. There, the hollow body 13 is displaced towards the outside 3 of the sole 1 in the direction of the arrow 19′. The displacement of the cushioning element in this case takes place by deformation of the inclined connecting lands 15 in each case.

Consequently, pinpoint cushioning by regions which are particularly stressed can take place by expedient integration of the cushioning elements in the sole 1. The sprung bedding and the resultant possibility of a spring movement of the cushioning elements in both directions perpendicular to the sole plane permit partial mechanical cushioning. Owing to the configuration of the cushioning elements in the form of a hollow body, however, not only particularly good cushioning is ensured by the spring bedding of the cushioning elements, but this configuration of the cushioning elements also results in a saving in terms of material and weight for the sole. It is hence cheaper to produce than conventional soles. The sole, in the case of a surface-covering arrangement of cushioning elements, ultimately comprises a large number of two-dimensional spring elements, which may develop a different cushioning action depending on their degree of embossing. These cushioning elements are arranged separately from each other over regions of material and could thus in each case fulfil their cushioning function independently of each other, i.e. substantially uninfluenced by each other. The sole can thus be configured individually depending on the shoe and the corresponding application. Not only may the configuration and arrangement of the cushioning elements however vary, but also the sole material is in principle not subject to any restrictions. For example, the sole may be produced from rubber, or alternatively from any other material suitable for producing soles.

Overall, the invention provides a sole which, owing to profiling on both sides and the cushioning elements (in the form of a hollow body) which can be produced thereby, achieves on one hand a saving in terms of material and weight and on the other hand optimum pinpoint pressure relief and cushioning.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

-   -   1 sole     -   2 upper     -   3 outside     -   5 cushioning profile     -   7 inside     -   9 frame     -   10 sole     -   11 cushioning element     -   13 hollow body     -   13 a base     -   13 b ascending flank     -   15 connecting land     -   17 holding land     -   19, 19′ arrow     -   20 upper     -   21 main cushioning element     -   23 secondary cushioning element     -   25 heel region     -   27 forefoot region     -   29 grip region     -   30 outside     -   50 cushioning profile     -   70 inside     -   a distance     -   L sole running plane     -   R frame lower edge     -   E sole plane 

1. A sole (1) for a shoe with a cushioning profile (5) arranged on an outside (3) of the sole (1), wherein the cushioning profile (5) also extends over an inside (7) of the sole (1).
 2. A sole according to claim 1, wherein the cushioning profile (5) has at least one cushioning element (11).
 3. A sole according to claim 2, wherein the at least one cushioning element (11) has an elastically deformable hollow body (13) which can be joined to further cushioning elements via portions of material.
 4. A sole according to claim 2, wherein the at least one cushioning element (11) is integrated resiliently in the sole and forms a two-dimensional spring element.
 5. A sole according to claim 2, wherein the cushioning profile (5) has a plurality of cushioning elements (21, 23) including at least two main cushioning elements (21) and a plurality of secondary cushioning elements (23).
 6. A sole according to claim 5, wherein at least one of the main cushioning element (21) is arranged in a heel region (25) of the sole and at least one of the main cushioning element (21) is arranged in a forefoot region (27) of the sole.
 7. A sole according to claim 5, wherein at least one of the main cushioning elements (21) is surrounded by secondary cushioning elements (23).
 8. A sole according to claim 1, wherein a grip profile (29) is additionally formed in a heel region (25) of the sole and/or in a forefoot region (27) of the sole.
 9. A sole according to claim 2, wherein the at least one cushioning element (11) is embossed three-dimensionally.
 10. A sole according to claim 2, wherein the at least one cushioning element (11) can perform a spring movement in two directions (19, 19′), and wherein the two directions (19, 19′) are perpendicular to a sole plane (E).
 11. A sole according to claim 1, wherein a frame (9) is joined to the sole (1) and surrounds the sole to stabilise the cushioning profile (5).
 12. A sole according to claim 11, wherein the frame (9) is arranged at a distance (a) from a running plane (L) of the sole (1).
 13. A sole according to claim 1, wherein the sole (1) is at least 2 mm thick.
 14. A shoe having a sole according to claim
 1. 15. A sole according to claim 1, wherein the shoe is at least one of a sports shoe, a hiking shoe, a ski boot, and a snowboard boot.
 16. A sole according to claim 9, wherein the at least one cushioning element (11) has one of a hexagonal shape, a circular cup shape, and a frustoconical shape.
 17. A sole according to claim 12, wherein the distance (a) is 2 mm.
 18. A sole according to claim 13, wherein the sole has a continuous material thickness of 2 mm.
 19. A sole according to claim 3, wherein the cushioning profile (5) has a plurality of cushioning elements (21, 23) including at least two main cushioning elements (21) and a plurality of secondary cushioning elements (23).
 20. A sole according to claim 4, wherein the cushioning profile (5) has a plurality of cushioning elements (21, 23) including at least two main cushioning elements (21) and a plurality of secondary cushioning elements (23). 